Friday, June 30, 2017

Recording: Steve Sladkowski & Joe Sorbara

Artist: Steve Sladkowski & Joe Sorbara

Songs: [two excerpts from first piece]

Recorded at The Steady Café (Track Could Bend #27), June 6, 2017.

Steve Sladkowski & Joe Sorbara - [first excerpt from first piece]

Steve Sladkowski & Joe Sorbara - [second excerpt from first piece]

I asked Joe Sorbara to come out and do something he wouldn't do at one of his usual sets — a tall order given the range of musicians he plays with on the regular. He thought about that for a second or so, and then asked if he could bring one of his old students out to perform with. That would have been cool in any case, but got even more intriguing when he mentioned that former student was Steve Sladkowski. I knew that Sladkowski had been involved with the improvised music scene in Guelph back in his student days, but he's been quite busy more recently being a rock star. Sitting face-to-face with Sorbara (and his assortment of percussive bricabrac), some old instincts kicked in, and soon he was clawing at his strings to Sharrock along. This might have some more pronounced dynamics than what he's been playing recently, but it was an evidently joyful musical encounter.

[Track Could Bend is back at The Steady on Tuesday (July 4th), with Montréal's Sound of the Mountain as well as Ami Spears' solo project Blue Light and Body of Waste (Adam from Retired).]

Recording: Processor

Artist: Processor

Song: unknown*

Recorded at The Steady Café (Track Could Bend #27), June 6, 2017.

Processor - unknown

Though I've recently seen M. Joakim and Lorenz Peter in full-on rock mode and more restrained reflection, I was expecting something a bit different, having invited the pair to TCB with an offer to do something outside their "regular" sets. That turned out to mean leaving the bass at home for a dual synth lineup on this night, and the pair played a series of beautifully-glacial pieces, repeating minimalist riffs providing a framework for samples and mutating oscillations. A real treat.

[Track Could Bend is back at The Steady on Tuesday (July 4th), with Montréal's Sound of the Mountain as well as Ami Spears' solo project Blue Light and Body of Waste (Adam from Retired).]

* Does anyone know the title to this one? Please leave a comment!

Recording: Diane Roblin & Katie Jensen

Artist: Diane Roblin & Katie Jensen

Song: [excerpt]

Recorded at The Steady Café (Track Could Bend #27), June 6, 2017.

Diane Roblin & Katie Jensen - [excerpt]

This one had been in the works for a while. The irrepressible Diane Roblin had asked me quite a ways back to play TCB and I agreed, but told her I was keeping an eye out for the right person to pair her with. When I saw Katie Jensen playing keyboards last spring at the Music Gallery's Drone Therapy event, the figurative lightbulb switched on. It took a while to get everything to come together, but this turned out to be a satisfying musical blind date. The pair don't have the same sort of background or musical practice, but I had an inkling there'd be a connection there personality-wise — a sort of optimistic tenaciousness. Musically, there was a meeting place in a sort of wobbly dreamworld soundtrack, with Roblin's more structured approach mixing nicely with Jensen's pedal-aided shimmers and textures. Cheers to both performers for taking a little excursion outside their usual comfort zones.

[The next instalment of Diane Roblin's monthly at The Tranzac (on Sunday, July 9th) sees her improvising with MFS faves Glen Hall and Brandon Valdivia. Track Could Bend is back at The Steady on Tuesday (July 4th), with Montréal's Sound of the Mountain as well as Ami Spears' solo project Blue Light and Body of Waste (Adam from Retired).]

Thursday, June 29, 2017

Recording: Not The Wind, Not The Flag

Artist: Not The Wind, Not The Flag

Song: For Ratio [excerpt, in two parts]

Recorded at Ratio (Decreation – Night 3), June 4, 2017.

Not The Wind, Not The Flag - For Ratio [excerpt, part 1]

Not The Wind, Not The Flag - For Ratio [excerpt, part 2]

Given the internal and external pressures that come to bear, it's no surprise that no DIY space lasts forever. It still made it a sad occasion to learn that Ratio was winding down its active presence, news leavened slightly with the corresponding announcement of a series of farewell shows, with many artists making a final return to the space. The night closed with Brandon Valdivia and Colin Fisher giving their last respects to the space. Fisher had a clip-on mic for his sax, allowing easier access to run it through his pedal chain, creating all sorts of expanding sonic space. It also allowed him to loop a sax drone and leave it playing while he added dollops of guitar shredding on top. It's saying a lot given how much I've seen this band perform, but this was one of the best NTW,NTF sets I've even seen — there remain depths and depths for this pair to explore.

[Not The Wind, Not The Flag will be playing two sets of music (!) next week (Thursday, July 6) on Pamenar's back patio.]

Recording: Alan Licht & Michael Snow

Artist: Alan Licht & Michael Snow

Song: [excerpt from first piece]

Recorded at Ratio (Decreation – Night 3), June 4, 2017.

Alan Licht & Michael Snow - [excerpt from first piece]

Given the internal and external pressures that come to bear, it's no surprise that no DIY space lasts forever. It still made it a sad occasion to learn that Ratio was winding down its active presence, news leavened slightly with the corresponding announcement of a series of farewell shows, with many artists making a final return to the space. And even to the last, Ratio was also opening itself up to new visitors, hosting NYC noise legend Alan Licht on a local tour stop. It was also a chance to re-ignite an occasional collaborative relationship with Michael Snow, with the pair combing for a short but intense guitar/piano duet.

Recording: Heraclitus Akimbo with Paul Newman

Artist: Heraclitus Akimbo with Paul Newman

Song: Ratio Requiem [excerpt]

Recorded at Ratio (Decreation – Night 3), June 4, 2017.

Heraclitus Akimbo with Paul Newman - Ratio Requiem [excerpt]

Given the internal and external pressures that come to bear, it's no surprise that no DIY space lasts forever. It still made it a sad occasion to learn that Ratio was winding down its active presence, news leavened slightly with the corresponding announcement of a series of farewell shows, with many artists making a final return to the space. Since its inception, Ratio has been a really important place to me. When it opened, I was having some back problems, and being able to go to a show where I could lay back on the floor afforded me some of the most relaxed and focused listening that I experienced in that period. I not only went to as many shows as I could there (more than thirty, by my count), I was fortunate enough to be able to present a couple bills there was well. So it felt like it was bringing things full circle, in some way, by making my performance debut there during this closing series.

For this set, I was inspired by all those shows I'd seen at Ratio, and I brought back some ghost-fragments of them by putting some of my field recordings from Ratio onto tapes that I mixed in with my synth loops. I also invited Paul Newman — who had played at one of those shows that I had remembered well — to respond with his sax.

[Given this one-off nature of this performance, I have decided to post the whole thing on Bandcamp — you can check it out here.]

Wednesday, June 28, 2017

Recording: ¼ Tonne

Artist: ¼ Tonne

Songs: [two excerpts]

Recorded at Ratio (Decreation – Night 2), June 3, 2017.

¼ Tonne - [excerpt 1]

¼ Tonne - [excerpt 2]

Given the internal and external pressures that come to bear, it's no surprise that no DIY space lasts forever. It still made it a sad occasion to learn that Ratio was winding down its active presence, news leavened slightly with the corresponding announcement of a series of farewell shows, with many artists making a final return to the space. Three heavy-hitters from Montréal combine in this group, mixing Eric Craven (drumkit, guit, keyb), Nick Keupfer (guitar, reel to reel loops) and Mark Molnar (cello) into something that would make a convincing Constellation platter. There were some cool abstract tension-building moments here, which would then implode as the trio flipped into driving frenzies.

Recording: Processor

Artist: Processor

Song: Sombre Beach

Recorded at Ratio (Decreation – Night 2), June 3, 2017.

Processor - Sombre Beach

Given the internal and external pressures that come to bear, it's no surprise that no DIY space lasts forever. It still made it a sad occasion to learn that Ratio was winding down its active presence, news leavened slightly with the corresponding announcement of a series of farewell shows, with many artists making a final return to the space. Catching the night's retrospective vibe, Lorenz Peter and M. Joakim revisited their first album, playing a set consisting of its five songs. Suiting the living-room-sized space, this cut brings a more meditative vibe than the wall-shaking bass rumbles the band brings in its fully-cranked-up incarnation.

Recording: Craig Dunsmuir

Artist: Craig Dunsmuir

Song: two unknown pieces*

Recorded at Ratio (Decreation – Night 2), June 3, 2017.

Craig Dunsmuir - unknown #1

Craig Dunsmuir - unknown #2

Given the internal and external pressures that come to bear, it's no surprise that no DIY space lasts forever. It still made it a sad occasion to learn that Ratio was winding down its active presence, news leavened slightly with the corresponding announcement of a series of farewell shows, with many artists making a final return to the space. Craig Dunsmuir lead off this second funereal night with a set of his meticulous solo compositions, with looped percussion providing a framework for interweaving guitar lines.

* Does anyone know the titles to these? Please leave a comment!

Monday, June 26, 2017

Concert Listings Roundup #206

You can read more about why I'm doing listings here. Long story short: This curated and decidedly non-comprehensive list contains nothin' but shows that I am going to/would go to if I had more time.


Gig of the week:

Monday Penance (feat. Corpusse / Skin / Goth Girl) / Smiling Buddha 2017-06-26 (Monday – PWYC! early show!) [FB event]

This new monthly's promise of an "evening of noise harsh electronic experimental bliss" sounds like a good way to lead off the week — and even moreso with the legendary Corpusse headlining this first instalment. I'm also into the promised early start/early finish being promised.


This week's noteworthy shows:

Luc Ex's Naked Wolf / Heliconian Hall 2017-06-26 (Monday – free!) [more info]

Deadly Vipers (B-17 / Hot Garbage) / The Baby G 2017-06-27 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Piano Party (feat. Tom Richards / Daria Morgacheva) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2017-06-28 (Wednesday – early!) [FB event]

Bellwether 4 / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2017-06-28 (Wednesday) [FB event]

Drone:Klub:08 ["community drone immersion experience"] / Roland Inspiration Centre 2017-06-28 (Wednesday – free! participatory!) [FB event]

Dorothea Paas (Ferra Fauna / Treasure) / Burdock Music Hall 2017-06-28 (Wednesday) [FB event]

TONE Festival (feat. Ted Reichman / Anne Bourne & Matt Rogalsky) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2017-06-29 (Thursday) [FB event]

A Night At Pamenar (feat. Deliluh / Mega Bog / iji / William Austin Clay / Quaker Parents) / Pamenar 2017-06-29 (Thursday – PWYC!) [FB event]

Aurochs / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2017-06-30 (Friday – early!) [FB event]

Ryan Driver Sextet / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2017-06-30 (Friday)

Myriad3 / Toronto Jazz Festival – O-- Stage 2017-06-30 (Friday – free!) [more info]

Repair (Silver Pools [10 inch vinyl record release party!] / DreamSTATE) / Burdock Music Hall 2017-06-30 (Friday) [FB event]

Cindy Lee (Crack Cloud / Blue Odeur) / Smiling Buddha 2017-06-30 (Friday) [FB event]

Arraymusic Experimental Turntable Session ["solo and group improvisation with the artists drawing on the Array LP Collection for source material"] (feat. SlowPitchSound / Steptone / Mike Hansen) / Array Space 2017-06-30 (Friday) [FB event]

Canada Days (feat. Diely Mori Tounkara / SATE / IsKwé / Bareto / Maractu Mar Aberto / DakhaBrakha / Basia Bulat / Pantayo / The Lonely Parade / Most People / Heavyweights Brass Band) / Humber Bay Park West 2017-07-01 (Saturday – free! all ages + family-friendly! outdoors! fireworks!) [more info]

Vallens (Bad Channels [EP Release!] / Planet Creature / Trails) / The Baby G 2017-07-01 (Saturday) [FB event]

Hataw x Han Han x DATU / Harbourfront Centre – Concert Stage 2017-07-01 (Saturday – free! all ages! outdoors!) [more info]

LAL / Harbourfront Centre – Stage in the Round 2017-07-02 (Sunday – outside! free! all-ages and family-friendly!) [more info]

Nite Comfort 46 (feat. N A V I / ~peace : will austin) / Handlebar 2017-07-02 (Sunday – PWYC!) [FB event]

Bry Webb (EONS) / Roncesvalles neighbourhood 2017-07-02 (Sunday – backyard show!) [FB event]

José Contreras (Laura Barrett / Ilia Nicoll and the Hot Toddies / Jake Nicoll) / Burdock Music Hall 2017-07-02 (Sunday) [FB event]

photo by Melissa Goldstein


Add these to your calendar:

Reminder: This post only contains this week's updates — the full listings can always be found over on the right-hand sidebar!

Msea (Omhouse / Blunt Chunks / Leucrocuta) / The Piston 2017-07-05 (Wednesday) [FB event]

Jonah Parzen-Johnson (Steven Foster) / Burdock Music Hall 2017-07-06 (Thursday) [FB event]

Wavelength 736: Camp Wavelength Warm-Up Party (feat. co/ntry / Hoan / Dorothea Paas) / Monarch Tavern 2017-07-29 (Saturday) [FB event]

Teenanger [Teenager album release show!] (New Fries / Hooded Fang) / The Horseshoe Tavern 2017-08-11 (Friday) [FB event]

Feminist Art Museum presents: Pauline Oliveros' "To Valerie Solanas and Marilyn Monroe in Recognition of Their Desperation" (feat. Christopher Willes / Anne Bourne / Allison Cameron / Ame Henderson / Anni Spadafora / Ellen Furey / Evan Webber / Germaine Liu / Ishan Dave) / Gardiner Museum 2017-08-17 (Thursday – early event @ 7 p.m.! free with registration!) [more info]

Sunday, June 25, 2017

Recording: Rheostatics

Artist: Rheostatics

Songs: Queer + Saskatchewan + Horses

Recorded at The Horseshoe Tavern (Spring Nationals 2017 – Night 3), May 26, 2017.

Rheostatics - Queer

Rheostatics - Saskatchewan

Rheostatics - Horses

Back in Winnipeg, I saw Rheostatics twice in their 90's heyday. Once as part of the second "Another Roadside Attraction" package tour (where I went to catch all the early, cool bands and feel disdainful about the headliners) but more notably before that at the West End Cultural Centre. By now, I don't remember a lot of details about that night (I do remember being floored by their cover of "One More Colour", performed before it emerged on Introducing Happiness, and also encountering The Inbreds for the first time as their openers) but it was one of those shows that everyone who really loves music probably has at some point — a night so jaw-droppingly good that it redfines how transcendant seeing live music could be. A night where you're almost afraid to see a band play live again for fear it won't live up to that moment.

So — this night in 2017 wasn't up at that level, but it was a thoroughly-enjoyable experience. And, more importantly, it wasn't just an exercise in nostalgia. After skipping out on the band's endgame phase and their first "reunion" forays, for whatever reason I felt compelled to drop into this four-night stand at The 'Shoe, and was well-pleased to hear a handful of new tunes being thrown into the mix. (Otherwise, the setlist hewed towards Melville/Whale Music, the band's earlier days that overlapped with drummer Dave Clark's original tenure with the band: "P.I.N." from Night of the Shooting Stars was the outlier here and the night's pick from the deep cut file.)

New recordings were hinted at to go along with those new songs, but for now they were merely celebrating a tasty new archival release that had been added to the richly-stocked merch table. Although my understanding is that the band is to be considered an ongoing affair, live shows are probably going to be special events like this, given what is probably not only a logistical tangle to get all for core members together but also getting touring members Ford Pier (who came out from the West Coast, and opened this night with a solo set) and Hugh Marsh on board.

All that said, what does one get at a Rheostatics show in 2017? A couple hours of barely-contained chaos, with decades of muscle memory struggling against entropy, songs sometimes struggling a bit to attain escape velocity before occasionally soaring with ungainly beauty. There were a couple extended breaks between songs to refocus, giving time for stories, Margaret Atwood jokes, and five-handed amiable bickering. There were erratic, off-script moments, but that's way more preferable than a Slick Reunion Machine — and at their best, they still manage to sail their Big Dominion.

[I had a bunch of technical issues with my gear on this night, so do excuse a few imperfections (especially at the start of "Horses") in these recordings. You can find full videos of Night 1 and Night 2 of the four-night stand over on youtube.]

Thursday, June 22, 2017

Recording: Thin Edge New Music Collective

Artist: Thin Edge New Music Collective

Piece: Puddles [composer: Fjóla Evans]

Recorded at Array Space (Premieres VI – Keys Wind and Strings Edition), May 25, 2017.

Thin Edge New Music Collective - Puddles

Not afraid to take chamber music out of the chamber, I'd most recently caught Thin Edge in a halfpipe and at an all ages punk show. I love their enthusiasm + gusto for putting themselves in situations like that, but it was also most enjoyable to catch them back on something more like their home turf, in a room that rewards careful and close listening. The ensemble closed out their season with a two-night festival at Array Space, dedicated to the sounds of "keys, wind and strings" and featuring guest artists Olivia Steimel (accordion) and Solomiya Moroz (flute + piccolo) augmenting the core performing quartet.

This second night of the mini-fest was given over entirely to premiering new works, as is an annual tradition for Thin Edge. The night included some action sounds from Germaine Liu and a new protest song from Jason Doell (the official recording of which he already has posted over on his soundcloud). This piece from Fjóla Evans is based around the building tension of higher-pitched string drones (passing back and forth from violin to cello and back again in nice stereo slides) punctuated by piano clomps — perhaps not unlike a puddle's icy surface creaking under a winter boot before suddenly cracking.

Wednesday, June 21, 2017

Recording: The Disraelis

Artist: The Disraelis

Song: The Struggler

Recorded at The Baby G, May 20, 2017.

The Disraelis - The Struggler

Celebrating the vinyl release of their Life's a Beach EP, this formally added five more songs to the slow-simmering band's discography. A long time coming, this now-rarer-than-they-used-to-be Optical Sounds party felt a bit out of place, not being at The Silver Dollar, but we all adapt and struggle on, such as we can.

Recording: Prince Ness

Artist: Prince Ness

Song: Broadway Rain

Recorded at The Baby G, May 20, 2017.

Prince Ness - Broadway Rain

This set included some new songs waiting to be recorded, as well as this b-side from last year's cassingle, which comes complete with a sweet nod to "Death & the Maiden", showing self-awareness of the band's jangly antecedents.

Monday, June 19, 2017

Concert Listings Roundup #205

You can read more about why I'm doing listings here. Long story short: This curated and decidedly non-comprehensive list contains nothin' but shows that I am going to/would go to if I had more time.


Gigs of the week:

TONE Festival (feat. Grünen / The Cluttertones) / Array Space 2017-06-19 (Monday – all ages!) [FB event]

TONE Festival (feat. Perch Hen Brock & Rain [Ab Baars/Ig Henneman/Ingrid Laubrock/Tom Rainey] / Marilyn Lerner & Nicole Rampersaud) / Array Space 2017-06-20 (Tuesday – all ages!) [FB event]

TONE Festival (feat. Hailu Mergia / Fake Humans) / Jam Factory 2017-06-21 (Wednesday – all ages!) [FB event]

TONE Festival (feat. Joe Morris/Daniel Pencer/Nicole Rampersaud) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2017-06-22 (Thursday) [FB event]

TONE Festival (feat. Arrington De Dionyso & Pierre-Luc Simon / FET.NAT / Sook-Yin Lee & Adam Litovitz / Brian Ruryk) / Ratio 2017-06-24 (Saturday) [FB event]

Not to sound like a broken record, but once again, this insurgent musical uprising is the place to be all week long. So much goodness here that it's hard to pick out specific things, but due deference must be given to legendary Ethio-groove keyboardist Hailu Mergia making a super-rare local appearance. (And also, the final night at the soon-to-be-missed Ratio Space.) But in any case, do yourself a favour and get out to see some of this music!


This week's noteworthy shows:

Nick Fraser/Tony Malaby/Kris Davis / The Rex Hotel 2017-06-19 (Monday) [FB event]

Leather Jacuzzi (Tough Age / WLMRT) / Faith/Void 2017-06-19 (Monday – all ages! dry show!) [FB event]

My Misshapen Ear [Anthony Argatoff/Andrew Furlong/Joe Sobara] (Scott Sandwich [Don Scott/Karl Silveira/Mark Godfrey/Andrew Scott]) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2017-06-20 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Allison Cameron & Nicole Rampersaud / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2017-06-21 (Wednesday – early!)

The Queer Songbook Orchestra (with special guests Cris Derksen / Beverly Glenn Copeland / Gentleman Reg) / Buddies In Bad Times Theatre 2017-06-21 (Wednesday) [FB event]

Special Costello (New Chance / Isla Craig) / Burdock Music Hall 2017-06-21 (Wednesday) [FB event]

TCML Presents: The Sounds of Silence ["the composers and singers are students at the University of Toronto, the poets are all members of underrepresented and often repressed communities in the Greater Toronto Area."] (feat. music + texts by Kevin Mulligan/Gwen Benaway / Evan Hammell/Heather Clear Wind Blows Over the Moon) / Burdock Music Hall 2017-06-21 (Wednesday) [FB event]

Toronto Creative Music Lab [new works by TCML participants] / Array Space 2017-06-22 (Thursday) [FB event]

Toronto Pride: Transformation (feat. Revolutions Per Minute / Sevdaliza / Lido Pimienta / Phèdre x HATAW / Shawnee / Ziibiwan) / Yonge-Dundas Square 2017-06-22 (Thursday – free! all-ages + inclusive! outdoor event!) [more info]

Demons VIII (feat. Félix Pierrot / Zoo OWL / Sad Sorcerer) / Smiling Buddha – basement 2017-06-22 (Thursday) [FB event]

Faster / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2017-06-23 (Friday – early!) [FB event]

Cindy Lee / The White House 2017-06-23 (Friday) [FB event]

SBVRSV + Dianetiks present (feat. E-Saggila / CARES / Hexzuul / Félix Pierrot) / The Baby G 2017-06-23 (Friday) [FB event]

Toronto Pride: Alternaqueer (feat. Persons / Partner / LAL / Unbuttoned) / Village Stage 2017-06-23 (Friday – free! all-ages + inclusive! outdoor event!) [more info]

Beautiful Noise with Boiler Room (feat. Al Mattes/Casey Sokol/Tena Palmer/Ed Epstein/Bob Vespaziani/Rob Clutton/Pierre Mongeon/Rick Sacks) / Array Space 2017-06-23 (Friday) [FB event]

Couleur/Dessin [LP release!] (Carl Didur / Mr. Joy) / ask for location! 2017-06-24 (Saturday) [FB event]

Toronto Creative Music Lab [new works by TCML participants] / 918 Bathurst 2017-06-24 (Saturday) [FB event]

Junction Summer Solstice Festival (feat. TUNS / Sam Cash / Freeman Dre & The Kitchen Party / Kiwi Jr. / Astrosurf / Good Enough Live Karaoke / many more) / various stages in The Junction 2017-06-24 (Saturday – free! outside! all ages + family-friendly!) [FB event]

Toronto Improvisors Orchestra (feat. Daniel Brophy) ["the premier of a work for movement, noise clothing, and improvising musicians"] / Array Space 2017-06-25 (Sunday – afternoon performance @ 3 p.m.! PWYC!) [FB event]

Christie Pits Film Festival: Opening Night (feat. live score of Harold Lloyd's classic silent comedy The Freshman performed by The Holy Gasp) / Christie Pits 2017-06-25 (Sunday – PWYC! all ages! outdoor event!) [FB event]

Babely Shades presents (feat. Cold Beaches / Lake Urmia / Baby Cages) / The Baby G 2017-06-25 (Sunday) [FB event]

Autolyse [Jeff LaRochelle/Luan Phung/Julian Anderson-Bowes/Matthew Chalmers] / The Emmet Ray 2017-06-25 (Sunday) [FB event]


Add these to your calendar:

Reminder: This post only contains this week's updates — the full listings can always be found over on the right-hand sidebar!

Lina Allemano's Titanium Riot ["last gig in Toronto until November!"] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2017-06-27 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Dorothea Paas (Ferra Fauna / Treasure) / Burdock Music Hall 2017-06-28 (Wednesday) [FB event]

A Night At Pamenar (feat. Deliluh / Mega Bog / iji / William Austin Clay / Quaker Parents) / Pamenar 2017-06-29 (Thursday – PWYC!) [FB event]

Music Mondays (feat. Dialectica Saxophone Quartet) / Church of the Holy Trinity 2017-07-03 (Monday – lunchtime show! free! all-ages and family-friendly!) [FB event]

Kingston All Stars (feat. Sly Dunbar/Mikey Chung/Hux Brown/Robbie Lyn/Tony "Bassie" Hibberts/Ranford "Ronnie Bop" Williams/Bangarang Horns/Mossman/Stranger Cole/Noel Ellis/Carol Brown/Jah Cutta) / Nathan Phillips Square 2017-07-03 (Monday – free! All-ages and family-friendly! outside!) [FB event]

Track Could Bend #28 (feat. Sound of the Mountain / Blue Light / Body of Waste) / The Steady Café 2017-07-04 (Tuesday – PWYC!) [FB event]

Peeling [7 Years of Blood EP release!] (Nyssa / Fruit & Flowers) / The Baby G 2017-07-07 (Friday) [FB event]

Audio Bleed (feat. Manticore / Blank Nurse No Light / Corrodesion) / Belljar Café 2017-07-14 (Friday – PWYC!) [FB event]

Batuki Music Society, Wavelength Music Series and Music Africa present (feat. Mbongwana Star) / The Great Hall 2017-07-19 (Wednesday) [FB event]

New Tendencies [Missed Month album release!] (Dirty Inputs / Doom Tickler) / The Baby G 2017-07-19 (Wednesday) [FB event]

Walrus (Petra Glynt / Future Peers) / The Drake Underground 2017-07-22 (Saturday) [FB event]

Native North America Gathering (feat. Duke Redbird / Willie Thrasher and Linda Saddleback / Willy Mitchell / Shingoose / Lawrence Martin with Vern Cheechoo / Lloyd Cheechoo / Eric Landry / Leland Bell / Brian Davey / John Angaiak / Alexis Utatnaq) / Trinity-St. Paul's 2017-08-08 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Invocation Residency Series (feat. Wooden Wand / Snake Church [Ben Grossman/Michael Mucci]) / Array Space 2017-08-10 (Thursday – all ages!) [FB event]

Friday, June 16, 2017

Recording: Anamai

Artist: Anamai

Songs: Hailstorm + Air to Blood

Recorded at Smiling Buddha, May 14, 2017.

Anamai - Hailstorm

Anamai - Air to Blood

Playing in a backlit green haze, Anna Mayberry looked comfortably ensconced in some sort of glowing mystic swamp. With collaborator David Psutka bringing up the rear, she was flanked by vocalists Allie Blumas and Emily Ekelund, who were turned inward to face each other rather than the audience. That created a safe and cozy spot from which the players could meditate upon the songs from What Mountain, stretching them out with long, patient builds. Even when it's played at concert volume, this is delicate music that really needs the room's full attention to keep it buoyant. This release-show crowd was on side with that, and as such, I might not get a second chance to hear these songs presented so well.

Recording: Pissbowelking

Artist: Pissbowelking

Song: unknown*

Recorded at Smiling Buddha, May 14, 2017.

Pissbowelking - unknown

This duo has gotten no less mysterious and menacing since the last time I caught 'em. What sounds like one more ringing layer of noise here as the song ends was actually just the fire alarm going off; that it fits in fairly well should tell you something about this pair's aesthetic.

* Does anyone know the title to this one? Please leave a comment!

Thursday, June 15, 2017

Recording: Sacred Lamp

Artist: Sacred Lamp

Song: Pettibone

Recorded at The Tranzac's Southern Cross Lounge (Afternoon of Sundays IV), May 14, 2017.

Sacred Lamp - Pettibone

Ayal Senior and Matt "Doc" Dunn's cosmic back porch Sacred Lamp duo has been a rather pleasing addition to the Tranzac's rotation of residency slots, creating mellow moods on Sunday afternoons. Mixing chiming acoustic 12-string and glass-slide melodies, there's a beautifully languid flow to the pieces that make it perfect for an afternoon escape. On this day, the Southern Cross' window was open a bit and the curtain would occasionally drift a bit in the breeze — that felt just right.

Bonus! Here's some video footage from the afternoon as well:

[Sacred Lamp has been documenting these (and other!) shows, so there are many rewards to be reaped over at their bandcamp. The residency continues on Sunday, July 9th, at 3 p.m. in the Southern Cross.]

Tuesday, June 13, 2017

Recording: Mas Aya

Artist: Mas Aya feat. Lido Pimienta

Song: Hoy

Recorded at Burdock Music Hall, May 12, 2017.

Mas Aya feat. Lido Pimienta - Hoy

Bringing together the night's earlier strands, Brandon Valdivia mixed raw percussion and street party vibes with technological tricks to present the songs from his brand new Nikan album, advancing the project from experimental beat tapes to avant-pop anthems. As with the album, he had some help from Lido Pimienta as well as his Not The Wind, Not The Flag bandmate Colin Fisher. Turning the Burdock into a sweaty dance zone, the proper celebratory vibe was achieved.

Recording: Baque De Bamba

Artist: Baque De Bamba

Song: unknown*

Recorded at Burdock Music Hall, May 12, 2017.

Baque De Bamba - unknown

For the release celebration of his Mas Aya project's new album, Brandon Valdivia selected two sonically-divergent openers, each of whom reflected a different aspect of his own work. After Obuxum's economical pop fragments, this crew filled the floor with the indoor version of a Brazilian street party, with thundering percussion and collective chants.

* Does anyone know the title to this one? Please leave a comment!

Recording: Obuxum

Artist: Obuxum

Song: Obuxum - [first section]*

Recorded at Burdock Music Hall, May 12, 2017.

Obuxum - [first section]

For the release celebration of his Mas Aya project's new album, Brandon Valdivia selected two sonically-divergent openers, each of whom reflected a different aspect of his own work. Obuxum's productions employ groovy flowscapes with song fragments sliding into each other, creating live mixtapes that are bursting with ideas.

* There are several distinct pieces flowing together here. Please leave a comment if you know the titles!

Monday, June 12, 2017

Concert Listings Roundup #204

You can read more about why I'm doing listings here. Long story short: This curated and decidedly non-comprehensive list contains nothin' but shows that I am going to/would go to if I had more time.


Gigs of the week:

TONE Festival (feat. Tatsuya Nakatani [solo] / Tatsuya Nakatani/Mika Posen/Danielle Fernandes / Brodie West & Joe Sorbara) / The Tranzac (Main Hall) 2017-06-14 (Wednesday) [FB event]

The Music Gallery Departures Series: TONE Festival (feat. DKV [Ken Vandermark/Hamid Drake/Kent Kessler] / Icepick [Nate Wooley/Ingebrigt Haker-Flaten/Chris Corsano] / Invisible Out [Xuan Ye/Jason Doell]) / Burdock Music Hall 2017-06-15 (Thursday) [FB event]

A once-over of the local "jazz" festival might give one the impression that its programmers aren't particularly interested in new/bold/creative sounds. Fortunately, there are some folks in town with great ears and irrepressible organizational talents willing to take up the slack. Hence this new venture, bringing together eight shows over the rest of the month. This opening one-two punch, like all of the festival's shows, brings together some phenomenal visiting talent with the cream of the local scenes.

Tatsuya Nakatani is not only a master percussionist, he's also a master of the space between sounds. He'll be playing alone and in a trio, with a much-anticipated duo set from Brodie West & Joe Sorbara opening things up. Thursday sees the first of the festival's tentpole shows, presented in association with the Music Gallery's offsite Departures series, featuring two jaw-dropping trios as well as a duo between two MFS faves. Not to be missed! And this is just the beginning!

[Oh, you want to see a show at the TONE festival for free? Drift along down to the Contest Corner below!]


This week's noteworthy shows:

Aldous Harding (Jennifer Castle / LUKA / Catholic Wilt) / Velvet Underground 2017-06-12 (Monday) [FB event]

Ornate Ornette (feat. Andrew Kay / Mark Zurawinski / Phil Albert) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2017-06-13 (Tuesday – early!) [FB event]

B.A. Johnston / Tilt 2017-06-14 (Wednesday) [FB event]

Livestalk and the Bodies (YlangYlang / Sea Beau / Joyful Joyful) / Array Space 2017-06-14 (Wednesday – dry show! all ages!) [FB event]

Planet Creature (Jiji Lives / Bald Britney / Tange / WEARENOTWHOWEARE) / Smiling Buddha 2017-06-14 (Wednesday – all ages!) [FB event]

The AMBiENT PiNG (feat. Stuart Clark / Upper Regions) / Handlebar 2017-06-14 (Wednesday) [FB event]

Hooded Fang [record release!] (Yamantaka//Sonic Titan / Hex) / The Horseshoe Tavern 2017-06-15 (Thursday) [FB event]

Germaphobes (Leather Jacuzzi / Zones / Feel Alright) / Euro Sports Bar 2017-06-15 (Thursday) [FB event]

Decreation (feat. The Silt) / Ratio 2017-06-15 (Thursday) [FB event]

Mystic Horde presents: The Dark Lady – a bakkhanalian coven (feat. performances by Annie Tuma/Joey Eddy/Chanakya Mukherjee/Mira Pinkus/Zachary Murphy/Graham Conway/Justin de Luna / sounds by Craig Renaud [Bit Reduction] / Connor Cook [Chonus/o.blisss] / Vessel / SOPHIE / Donna Lewis / Holy Other / M¥rrH Ka Ba / Tanya Tagaq / SKY H1 / Ricky Eat Acid) / venues TBA 2017-06-15–2017-06-18 (Friday–Sunday) [FB event]

Luminato Festival (feat. Veda Hille) / Spiegeltent @ David Pecaut Square 2017-06-16 (Friday – free!) [more info]

Tone Deaf Culture Presents: Toronto Noise #8 (feat. Goth Girl x Rob Michalchuk [tape release!] / Staph) / The Dupe Shop 2017-06-17 (Saturday – PWYC! all ages!) [FB event]

Luminato Festival (feat. LAL) / Spiegeltent @ David Pecaut Square 2017-06-17 (Saturday) [FB event]

Buzz Records presents (feat. Tweens / Kurt Marble / Camp Girls) / Smiling Buddha 2017-06-17 (Saturday – all ages!) cancelled!

Crate Diggers Record Fair After Party (feat. Nap Eyes / Dave Monks / Fake Palms) / Adelaide Hall 2017-06-17 (Saturday – free!) [FB event]

Ah Mer Ah Su (Ice Cream / November) / Tough Guy Mountain 2017-06-17 (Saturday) [FB event]

Omhouse (Merival) / somewhere near Roncesvalles 2017-06-17 (Saturday – backyard show!) [FB event]

Ballads and Old Songs by the Water (feat. Martha / Kith & Kin and friends) / Church of St. Andrew by-the-lake 2017-06-18 (Sunday – afternoon show!) [FB event]

Two Ninety Two [Diane Roblin/Rob Clutton/Mark Zurawinski] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2017-06-18 (Sunday – early!) [FB event]

Somewhere There presents (feat. The Starfires) / The Emmet Ray 2017-06-18 (Sunday – PWYC!)

A Quiet Night (feat. New Tendencies / Heraclitus Akimbo / Bachelard) / Handlebar 2017-06-18 (Sunday – PWYC!) [FB event]

Nick Fraser/Tony Malaby/Kris Davis / The Rex Hotel 2017-06-18–2017-06-19 (Sunday & Monday) [FB event]


Add these to your calendar:

Reminder: This post only contains this week's updates — the full listings can always be found over on the right-hand sidebar!

TCML Presents: The Sounds of Silence ["the composers and singers are students at the University of Toronto, the poets are all members of underrepresented and often repressed communities in the Greater Toronto Area."] (feat. music + texts by Kevin Mulligan/Gwen Benaway / Evan Hammell/Heather Clear Wind Blows Over the Moon) / Burdock Music Hall 2017-06-21 (Wednesday) [FB event]

Toronto Pride: Transformation (feat. Revolutions Per Minute / Sevdaliza / Lido Pimienta / Phèdre x HATAW / Shawnee / Ziibiwan) / Yonge-Dundas Square 2017-06-22 (Thursday – free! all-ages + inclusive! outdoor event!) [more info]

Faster / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2017-06-23 (Friday – early!) [FB event]

Toronto Pride: Alternaqueer (feat. Persons / Partner / LAL / Unbuttoned) / Village Stage 2017-06-23 (Friday – free! all-ages + inclusive! outdoor event!) [more info]

Toronto Creative Music Lab [new works by TCML participants] / 918 Bathurst 2017-06-24 (Saturday) [FB event]

Aurochs / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2017-06-30 (Friday – early!) [FB event]

Cindy Lee (Crack Cloud / Plasmalab / Blue Odeur) / Smiling Buddha 2017-06-30 (Friday) [FB event]

Vallens (Bad Channels [EP Release!] / Trails) / The Baby G 2017-07-01 (Saturday) [FB event]

Hataw x Han Han x DATU / Harbourfront Centre – Concert Stage 2017-07-01 (Saturday – free! all ages! outdoors!) [more info]

Nite Comfort 46 (feat. N A V I / ~peace : will austin) / Handlebar 2017-07-02 (Sunday – PWYC!) [FB event]

Absolutely Free (Castle If) / The Brandscape 2017-07-08 (Saturday) [FB event]

Feast In The East 63 (feat. The Cosmic Range / LAL / Saxsyndrum) / Prairie Drive Park 2017-07-08 (Saturday – free! all ages + family friendly! free meal! outside + wonderful!) [FB event]

TUNS / Harbourfront Centre – Concert Stage 2017-07-15 (Saturday – free! all ages! outdoors!) [more info]

Re-TROS (Mimico) / The Baby G 2017-07-18 (Tuesday) [FB event]

Tirgan Festival: Inner Journey – Sufi Music and Dance (feat. Regards Persan) / Harbourfront Centre – Concert Stage 2017-07-27 (Thursday) [FB event]

Nhapitapi / Island Cafe 2017-08-25 (Friday – PWYC!) [FB event]

Jerusalem In My Heart (Scattered Clouds) / The Baby G 2017-09-28 (Thursday) [FB event]


Contest corner:

Thanks to the folks at the TONE Festival, I have a pair of tickets to give away to any TONE show at The Tranzac. That means one of these:

  • Wednesday, June 14th with Tatsuya Nakatani [solo] / Tatsuya Nakatani with Mika Posen & Danielle Fernandes / Brodie West & Joe Sorbara
  • Thursday, June 22nd with Joe Morris/Daniel Pencer/Nicole Rampersaud
  • Thursday, June 29th with Ted Reichman [solo] / Anne Bourne & Matt Rogalsky

To enter, shoot me an email to mechanicalforestsound@gmail.com, with "contest" in the title and your name in the body as well as which show you want to go to. I'll randomly draw a winner on Wednesday, June 14th at noon.

Sunday, June 11, 2017

Recording: Phèdre

Artist: Phèdre feat. Casey Garcia

Song: unknown*

Recorded at Jam Factory (Feast in the East's 6th Anniversary), May 6, 2017.

Phèdre feat. Casey Garcia - unknown

Another celebration for this east-end institution saw it returning to perhaps the most-loved of its many homes. In typical Feast fashion, besides food (and birthday cake!) there was a diverse range of music with no fewer than five acts helping to mark the occasion. Phèdre are continuing to pivot to their next phase, supported by their hip-hop posse which includes Arowbe, Han Han, Lil Gae and Casey Garcia. That gives April Aliermo and Dan Lee more room to groove over their table of gear and hype up the crowd while the mic is passed around.

[Phèdre will be mixing it up with the fabulous HATAW as part of Pride's "Transformation" event at Yonge-Dundas Square on Thursday, June 22nd (free! outside!). And in another welcome return, on July 8th Feast in the East heads back to Prairie Drive Park for its second annual Arts in the Parks event. This day out is free, all-ages, and family-friendly and offers a free meal for all as well as live sets by The Cosmic Range, LAL and Saxsyndrum. Not to be missed — last year's event was one of the summer's highlights!]

[Thanks to Brandon Caswell Douglas for sharing his audio from this night — you can check out some his footage over at his youtube playlist for this event.]

* Does anyone know the title to this one? Please leave a comment!

Recording: ZONES

Artist: ZONES

Song: unknown*

Recorded at Jam Factory (Feast in the East's 6th Anniversary), May 6, 2017.

ZONES - unknown

Another celebration for this east-end institution saw it returning to perhaps the most-loved of its many homes. In typical Feast fashion, besides food (and birthday cake!) there was a diverse range of music with no fewer than five acts helping to mark the occasion. Another syrupy selection of hazed-out dub-funk slices from Derek McKeon, the effect of this this set could be measured by the sight of the crowd up front dancing in their own pleasant cocoons/soft k-holes.

[And in another welcome return, on July 8th Feast in the East heads back to Prairie Drive Park for its second annual Arts in the Parks event. This day out is free, all-ages, and family-friendly and offers a free meal for all as well as live sets by The Cosmic Range, LAL and Saxsyndrum. Not to be missed — last year's event was one of the summer's highlights!]

[Thanks to Brandon Caswell Douglas for sharing his audio from this night — you can check out some his footage over at his youtube playlist for this event.]

* Does anyone know the title to this one? Please leave a comment!

Recording: Fly or Die

Artist: Fly or Die

Songs: Theme 002 + Waltzer*

Recorded at Jam Factory (Feast in the East's 6th Anniversary), May 6, 2017.

Fly or Die - Theme 002

Fly or Die - Waltzer

Another celebration for this east-end institution saw it returning to perhaps the most-loved of its many homes. In typical Feast fashion, besides food (and birthday cake!) there was a diverse range of music with no fewer than five acts helping to mark the occasion. The night's out-of-town guests were passing through with a celebration of their own, marking the release of the group's first album. Fronted by Chicago trumpeter Jaimie Branch, the group included cellist Tomeka Reid as well as familiar faces Jason Ajemian (double bass) and the Chicago Underground Duo's incredible Chad Taylor on drums. The set mixed barnburning sections with more textured slow-flows, ebbing and flowing quite effortlessly as Branch stepped out to pump up the crowd.

[And in another welcome return, on July 8th Feast in the East heads back to Prairie Drive Park for its second annual Arts in the Parks event. This day out is free, all-ages, and family-friendly and offers a free meal for all as well as live sets by The Cosmic Range, LAL and Saxsyndrum. Not to be missed — last year's event was one of the summer's highlights!]

[Thanks to Brandon Caswell Douglas for sharing his audio from this night — you can check out some his footage over at his youtube playlist for this event.]

* Both of these could well have interpolations of some other pieces, but these are the base themes as far as I can hear. Please leave a comment if you'd label these otherwise!

Recording: Tenderness

Artist: Tenderness

Song: unknown*

Recorded at Jam Factory (Feast in the East's 6th Anniversary), May 6, 2017.

Tenderness - unknown

Another celebration for this east-end institution saw it returning to perhaps the most-loved of its many homes. In typical Feast fashion, besides food (and birthday cake!) there was a diverse range of music with no fewer than five acts helping to mark the occasion. Originally slated as a collaborative set re-arranging some of her pieces for saxophone quartet this ended up being "merely" a chance to hear Chrissy Reichert share some gems from her stack of not-yet-released tracks. The sax versions are still forthcoming, but in any case this was a treat and a delight, with Reichert singularly simmering in her spiritual, soulful flow.

[And in another welcome return, on July 8th Feast in the East heads back to Prairie Drive Park for its second annual Arts in the Parks event. This day out is free, all-ages, and family-friendly and offers a free meal for all as well as live sets by The Cosmic Range, LAL and Saxsyndrum. Not to be missed — last year's event was one of the summer's highlights!]

[Thanks to Brandon Caswell Douglas for sharing his audio from this night — you can check out some his footage over at his youtube playlist for this event.]

* Does anyone know the title to this one? Please leave a comment!

Recording: Fake Humans

Artist: Fake Humans

Song: [second section]

Recorded at Jam Factory (Feast in the East's 6th Anniversary), May 6, 2017.

Fake Humans - [second section]

Another celebration for this east-end institution saw it returning to perhaps the most-loved of its many homes. In typical Feast fashion, besides food (and birthday cake!) there was a diverse range of music with no fewer than five acts helping to mark the occasion. Colin Fisher and Carl Didur lead off the night, and the former helped mix things up by opening the set on his guzheng before ramping things up behind the drum kit (as heard here). Didur, on his second gig of the day, was doubling up on taishogoto and synth.

[Fake Humans will be back at Jam factory on Wednesday, June 21st, opening up for the legendary Hailu Mergia as part of the TONE Festival. And in another welcome return, on July 8th Feast in the East heads back to Prairie Drive Park for its second annual Arts in the Parks event. This day out is free, all-ages, and family-friendly and offers a free meal for all as well as live sets by The Cosmic Range, LAL and Saxsyndrum. Not to be missed — last year's event was one of the summer's highlights!]

[Thanks to Brandon Caswell Douglas for sharing his audio from this night — you can check out some his footage over at his youtube playlist for this event.]

Friday, June 9, 2017

Recording: Bodies That Matter

Artist: Bodies That Matter

Song: unknown*

Recorded at the basement auditorium of Toronto Public Library – Parkdale Branch (SHHHH! – Year 2, Show 2), May 6, 2017.

Bodies That Matter - unknown

Kudos to Kyle Knapp (of the band Deliluh and the Raw Materials label/collective) for keeping going the community initiative he started a year ago, bringing strange and wonderful sounds to the library's Parkdale branch. I missed the previous evening's show up in the stacks, but made it down for this Saturday matinée, mixing up a variety of artists to entice patrons and passers-by to join the crowd in the wonderfully-retro basement auditorium. Seeing Phil Hamilton setting up alongside Ian McPhedran, one might have concluded that this was a different band playing, but it turns out that the former had been drafted to fill out the latter's solo sound. Clutching an oscillating noise-box and playing some of the wettest drum sounds imaginable, Hamilton's distortions worked in the service of Bodies That Matter's core aesthetic: burying pop hooks under layers of murk. The echoes of their work in Determinist? were even more pronounced in a set-closing white-noise crescendo, hinting at how there are many roads to that same sonic zone.

* Does anyone know the title to this one? Please leave a comment!